Finding Authentic Mexican (and Vegan) at Chaparro, Berlin

Following research, we loved what we saw about Chaparro and asked to drop by to take some shots. They were kind enough to provide us with the following meal, however all thoughts and opinions are – as always – formed independently and without agreement to be favourable.

Berlin has an incredible amount of restaurants and health food shops that cater to those who follow the vegan lifestyle and diet, and every year the number of places that offer vegan products or dishes on their menus continues to grows, so much so that you can walk into a number of cafes and restaurants in the city when both carnivores and vegetarian/vegans can all eat with at least something on the menu that they can easily order.

One restaurant in particular that also offers vegan options amongst its more traditional food selections is Chaparro Cocina Mexicana, but there’s nothing too ‘traditional‘ about the food on offer here as it’s not German cuisine that inspires the menu, but a man from Mexico.

Authentically Mexican

Originally from Mexico City but now permanently living in the German capital, restaurant owner and chef Raul Arriaga has been running his Mexican kitchen and catering business for several years and with great success in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin where so many people from across the city travel to for its fantastic and crazy street food scene that was so well documented by Calli and Travis of Have Blog Will Travel.

It doesn’t take much imagination to understand just why people love dropping by Chaparro for a quick burrito to-go or a plate full of burritos. It’s a combination of the welcoming singular member of staff, the fantastic authentic decor that transports your halfway around the world to a street side bar in Mexico City, the smells coming from the kitchen as you sip on a cold soft drink, and it’s the taste of the food when it meets your mouth.

Meat-Free Mexican

Most of our Mexican food consumption in the past was homemade and in no way authentic to Mexican cuisine, no matter how well prepared it might have been; but we’ve long been fans of the choices on offer; so being able to drop by and sample some handmade tacos as prepared by a professional was certainly going to be a treat.

Beforehand, we had of course done our research about what vegan options were on offer in Berlin after the really helpful tips from vegan travellers who recommended that we check online resources such as Google and Foursquare before we arrived for restaurants that either are strictly vegan or offer vegan products, just as Chaparro does.

Unknowingly, we were about to try something new that we’d not heard anything about before, but are now keen to try again, and again, until we can’t take another bite.

We chose to take a plate of tacos each and typically you’d be asked to choose a filling and a sauce to fill them, but rather than the meat-based options that might normally come with them, we had the choice of three for vegans that we couldn’t help but take one of each of. We of course chose the vegan chorizo filling as I can’t ever get enough of it, we also chose the grilled vegetables as I’m a huge lover of mixed veg, and for the third taco we chose something we’d never even heard of before – nopales.

We don’t know if it was the natural taste or the preparation by Raul, but the flavors of the nopales blew us away. They have a smoky taste, but with a sweet tangy kick that we can’t relate to any other vegetable that we’ve ever tasted. There’s something special about these young cactus leaves that really got our attention.

For me the chorizo was pretty special too, not just because I love those spices, but because the method used to create it wasn’t at all like any I’d tried before either as a meat eater or vegan. Aparently the method of making chorizo in Mexico isn’t the same as the one in Spain as rather than using smoked paprika to create that distinct flavour, they instead use a combination of handpicked chilis that have that extra bite, making for a uniquely hot kick in the chorizo; so being able to try this vegan alternative was a real buzz for me.

Franca loved the grilled vegetables the most, though she was quite the fan too of the others; but she’ll always favor the subtle flavours that the right combination of herbs and good preparation can give to fresh veg.

A New Addiction

For me, Mexican food has become a new craving that I have to itch. Before hand I didn’t really understand why so many people the world over crave for a good burrito of a plate of tacos, but after eating at this particular Mexican restaurant in Berlin I’m beginning to see what all the fuss is about, especially for that fiery chorizo, but more so for nopales and the many ways that I’ve yet to try them.

And to make matters worse, having recently read about all of the other great vegan options for people in Mexico as so well covered by David of That Gay Backpacker, I’m more keen than ever to try more fantastic food like the food on offer at Chaparro. In fact, I’m thinking of having lunch there today. Join me?

I love Mexican food – we just got back and I wish I could eat the tacos again!! Sounds like this Mexican restaurant in Berlin would a shot (too bad I’m not in Berlin either…). I love getting mixed veggie tacos, but I’ve never had no pales – sounds awesome! Great find!!Katie recently posted…The Temples of Bali

What a cool place! Well, to be honest, I like Mexican, although I was never crazy for it just because I’ve always had in mind that it’s too meaty, but after seeing this, I understand, probably each cuisine of this world can be adjustable for vegans 🙂
Looking forward for your next vegan discovery guys!Ivana recently posted…Love on the Road: Wandering On

I LOVE Mexican food and, funny enough, one of my favorite Mexican meals was in Berlin! I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the same place, but it was delicious. We get so much of the fake, “Americanized-Mexican” where I love. It’s such a treat to have the real stuff.Amy recently posted…A visit to the Biltmore Estate

Being in SoCal, I’ve had nopales prepared various ways, but I would never expect to come across a Mexican restaurant such as Choparro in Berlin! Thanks for sharing – your search for vegan food has yielded some great tips for travelers. Thanks for sharing 🙂Priscilla | @ShesCookin recently posted…Endless Summer: Pineapple Fried Rice

This restaurant sounds so delicious – probably shouldn’t have started reading while hungry! I’ve never heard of nopales either but now I’m intrigued to try it. I never thought I would miss Mexican food like I do now because I didn’t eat it all that often in the US. But now living in France, people here don’t like spicy food and it’s hard to get food with a kick to it. I definitely miss the spice of Mexican food, and good guacamole!Sara @ Simply Sara Travel recently posted…Park it in Paris: Parc de Belleville

We went to another Mexican the other day and the ‘spicyness’ came up in the ordering. “How hot is this? European hot or proper hot?” was all I needed to ask to get the secret stash of spicy salsa they had set aside.

It’s always a pain trying to find great food from certain countries if you’re not in them, but this time we really got lucky. I can imagine that some parts of France can be as hard as you’re finding, but maybe some more diverse cultural cities like Marseille will have something?

Mexican vegan food – it sounds divine! Thanks for sharing, Dale, now I know where I’ll be heading next time I’m in Berlin.Miriam of Adventurous Miriam recently posted…Bali scams – and how to avoid them

You guys always find a great vegan place to dine out, even in Berlin!! That’s so cool as I’ve heard that most of Berliners eat take-away food which is greasy, cheap and unhealthy. Is it expensive to be a vegan in Germany?Agness recently posted…Dubai For Less Than $25 A Day